NYC comptroller detained by federal agents at immigration court

NEW YORK – Federal agents detained and arrested New York City Comptroller Brad Lander on Tuesday as the Democratic mayoral candidate attempted to escort a defendant from his appearance at an immigration court. The incident was the latest in a string of recent confrontations between federal immigration agents and Democratic elected officials.

Lander spent the morning observing immigration hearings, said Dora Pekec, his campaign spokesperson, and in videos that captured the events, he could be seen linking his arms with the defendant leaving immigration court as officers, some in plain clothes, others wearing vests with “Federal Agent” patches, pushed through the crowd surrounding them and attempted to separate the two men.

Immediately, Lander could be heard asking the agents repeatedly if they had a judicial warrant, according to the videos.

The officers surrounded Lander and the man. One officer said, “back up, back up.”

As Lander tried to walk through a crowded courthouse hallway, his arm linked with another man’s arm, several law enforcement officers, some wearing masks, appeared to try to separate the two men.

Lander repeatedly asked to see a warrant, according to the videos.

“I will let go when you show me the judicial warrant,” he said.

“You’re obstructing,” someone called out.

One officer waved a paper at Lander and said, “I have it in my hand here.” It appeared that the officer holding the paper was about to show the document to Lander, but pulled away when the link between Lander and the man was broken.

Then, the officers pinned Lander against a wall and handcuffed him.

On the video, a voice said, “take him in, take him in.”

“You don’t have the authority to arrest U.S. citizens,” Lander told them. “I’m not obstructing – I’m standing right here in the hallway. I asked to see the judicial warrant.”

The agents then took Lander into an elevator, and he was “taken by masked agents and detained by ICE,” Lander’s spokesperson said in a statement, referring to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said Lander was arrested “for assaulting law enforcement and impeding a federal officer.” Videos show Lander attempting to maintain contact with the defendant as a group of agents pry his arms open to break them apart.

“It is wrong that politicians seeking higher office undermine law enforcement safety to get a viral moment,” McLaughlin said in a statement. “No one is above the law, and if you lay a hand on a law enforcement officer, you will face consequences.”

The Trump administration’s immigration crackdown has prompted opposition from Democratic politicians, several of whom have clashed with federal agents. Last month, Newark’s Democratic Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested after he tried to visit a new detention facility in his city. His trespassing charge was later dropped. Weeks later, Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., was charged with assaulting two federal agents during the same confrontation.

And last week, Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., was forcibly removed and handcuffed after he interrupted a news conference held by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem amid immigration raids in California.

Lander was held for several hours at 26 Federal Plaza, a spokesperson for the comptroller’s office said. New York’s Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul came to the courthouse and addressed reporters.

“How dare they take an elected official who’s been going down there for weeks to escort people who are afraid to walk into a courthouse in the United States of America,” she said “… What the hell is happening to this country?”

The New York state Republican Party mocked Lander’s appearance at the courthouse and subsequent arrest as “performative nonsense.”

Nick Biase, a spokesman for the Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office, said it is continuing to investigate Lander’s actions. “The safety and security of official proceedings, government officials, law enforcement officers, and all members of the public who participate in them is a core focus of our Office.” He added that federal law prohibits assaults on law enforcement, destruction of property and obstruction of official proceedings.

Lander and Hochul left the federal building together late Tuesday afternoon, with the candidate holding his wife’s hand. Lander paused in front of cameras, waved and patted his chest before proceeding to a microphone stand to address members of the press. In his comments, Lander used the incident to highlight what he said were inequities in the immigration justice system.

“I’m going to sleep in my bed tonight, safe with my family. I’m grateful to hear that the charges are not being brought, but if they are, I’ve got a lawyer,” Lander said. “I don’t have to worry about my due process rights.”

Lander was taken into custody as he escorted a man named Edgardo out of the courthouse, he said, after observing public proceedings in immigration court. Lander said he asked ICE agents if they had a warrant for Edgardo’s arrest and that he planned to step away from the scene if they showed him one.

In the scuffle, Lander said he “lost a button” but that he was otherwise fine and was treated well during his time in custody. He noted that the ICE agents who spent time with him during his detainment were themselves from immigrant families.

“I will be fine, but Edgardo is not going to be fine,” Lander said, adding that he didn’t think the man had an attorney to try to fight for relief as he faced deportation.

Hochul told reporters that she was touring a Haitian neighborhood to observe the effects of the Trump administration’s policies on that community when she heard news of Lander’s arrest and decided to go to the court to seek answers.

“This is a sorry day for New York and our country,” Hochul said.

His arrest comes a week before the Democratic mayoral primary, where Lander is competing with 10 other candidates. He’s in fourth place among likely primary voters with 8% support, according to a May poll by Marist. He was a member of the New York City Council until 2021, when he was elected comptroller, the city’s chief financial officer.

Former New York governor Andrew M. Cuomo, the front-runner in the Democratic mayoral primary, on Tuesday denounced Lander’s detention as “the latest example of the extreme thuggery of Trump’s ICE out of control.”

“One can only imagine the fear families across our country feel when confronted with ICE,” Cuomo wrote on X. “Fear of separation, fear of being taken from their schools, fear of being detained without just cause. This is not who we are. This must stop, and it must stop now.”

In recent months, ICE officers have been instructed to arrest people immediately after a judge has ordered them to be deported or prosecutors move to drop their cases – increasing arrests at immigration courthouses, the Washington Post previously reported.